Certain garden plants are grown more for the redolent quality of their foliation than for the lulu of their flower . Their flowers may be unimportant , and their leaf may not be peculiarly handsome , yet the plants are beloved of gardeners because of the scent given off by their leaves , sometimes in spicy sunshine , sometimes when the leaves are brushed with the hand , or crush between the fingers .
The latter variety were described long ago as being ‘ libertine of their scent ’ , think that the scent was let go of only by touching the leaves . Such a plant is the well - known lemon - odoriferous verbena(Lippia citriodora , once known asAloysia citriodora).This is unremarkably spring up as a glasshouse plant although it is nearly hardy and will succeed outside in most winters in the milder parts of the country , given some protection .
It should be planted by a warm , cheery wall , sooner by the doorway or near a path so that the leaves can be pressed in passing to yield their shrilly sharp scent of lemons . spike of lilac flowers are produced in recent summer .
The snowy , many stamened flowers of the myrtle(Myrtus communis ) areby counterpoint much more showy and it would be deserving growing this shrub for its flower alone . But tobeauty of flowerit bestow sweetness of leaf . Again , it needs a warm sheltered wall or a pot in the cold greenhouse or conservatory .
The old - fashioned lad ’s love(Artemisia abrotanum),also familiarly sleep with as southernwood , rarely flowers ; it is a sturdy bush grown for the interest and aroma of its finely divided grey - dark-green leaves , so ok as to be almost like hairs . This is another flora which needs to be pertain or wring to arrest the scent which is of lemon , but oilier and not so sharp as that of the lemon yellow - scented vervain . The evergreen leaves of the sweet-smelling bay or poet ’s laurel , Laurus nobilisalso release their smell when handle .
Rub the shiny evergreen leaf of theMexican orange(Choisya ternata)between your fingers and you could smell varnish ; those ofHebe cupressoidessmell of pencil paring . The flavour of wintergreen is released when the leave of theGaultheria procumbensare handled and the olfactory sensation of eucalyptus tree petroleum is given off by the leaves of the blue gum(Eucalyptus globulus)often maturate in the hothouse .
The smell ofgarlicis not liked by everyone ; anyone who dislike it should be careful when planting the bulbs of the spring starflower(Ipheion uniflorum),for if these are by a nerve tract their slack leaf may be trodden on , when the air will be filled with this plain aroma .
The scented - leaf Pelargonium ( ` geranuims ’ ) nominate a form by themselves . The ordinary bedding Pelargonium have a powerful olfactory property when handled , which most people encounter pleasant enough , strong though it is . But there are twenty or more kinds which are produce mainly for their leaf - aroma rather than for their far from flashy flowers . The catalogs of specialist nurseryman will list perlagoniums with leaves smelling of roses , lemon , oranges , citronella , eucalypt , red gum , pine , and other scarcely definable scents or odour , released when the leaves are iron .
It is hard , too , to define the see given off by the somewhat sticky leaves ofDimorphotheca barberiae , not only when pressed but also on a hot , still summer ’s day , when the sunshine ’s heat releases it .
A few redolent plants are worth planting between the sally in pave for they will bear being trodden upon . One of the mints , Mentha requienii , scarcely 1.5 centimeter ( 1/2 in ) gamey , is one such works . Trodden upon , it smells distinctly of peppermint . Another useful plant for alike billet is the wild thyme and its varieties . Its relative , Thymus herba - barona , smells of carraway ejaculate , a scent dislike by many because of its connection with seed bar , but not too unpleasant in the open air .
This is a shrubby slight plant about 16 atomic number 96 ( 8 in ) magniloquent which would be damaged by being trodden upon ; it is a full dry wall plant . Other thyme , quite apart from the culinary thyme , have leaves with varied odor include orange , lemon and camphor . The leaves of theCarolina allspice(Calycanthus floridus)also smell strongly of camphor when handled .
The mints have a surprisingly wide range of scents , too , for there are varieties which when handled give off such scents as Eau de Cologne , orchard apple tree , ananas and powdered ginger . By contrast the farewell ofCaryopteris mastacanthus , a low - acquire bush with lilac blue flowers , odour of mint when offend .
Another good garden plant , specially for border a nerve tract where it is easily touch in passing , is the catmint(Nepeta faassenii),grown in the main for its longsighted presentation of spikes of lavender - blue flowers , but its season of good luck charm is even long than its anthesis period for its grey - green leave-taking are always redolent . lavender , too , are aromatic in all their parts , flowers , stem and leaves and these make okay internal hedges . So , too , does the old - fashioned rosemary(Rosmarinus officinalis),taller than the lavender , free - flowering in spring but a delightful plant to have at any metre , for the interest of its sharply fragrant leaves .
Another of these old plant is the Ruta graveolens or herbaceous plant of grace(Ruta graveolens)usually grown in the form ‘ Jackman ’s Blue ’ , for its blue - green foliage , although not everyone likes that odd odor its leaves give off when handled . This is a dwarf bush which does well on chalky soils . Yet another shrub which comes into the aromatic group is the skimmia , a beautiful evergreen for subtlety , bearing in most of its garden forms ample crop of persistent bright crimson berry . A oddly redolent shrub is the sugared brierpatch or eglantine(Rosa eglanteria)sometimes used to make a low cozy hedge . The fragrance of its leaves is most apparent on a fond day , after a shower bath of rain .
Many conifers have a distinctive aroma , often resiny or like that of gum terpentine . It is usually more noticeable on hot , unagitated years , though even drained pine needles or the leafage of other conifers reek pleasant as one walks over them on a winter ’s day .
